For the report, the final title of Lockport’s Jalen Falcon is pronounced “Fal-cone.”
It’s not pronounced just like the quick, highflying fowl of prey featured within the film “The Falcon and the Snowman” or the nickname of Atlanta’s NFL crew. But many individuals get it fallacious.
“It doesn’t really bother me,” Falcon mentioned. “I’ve been hearing it my whole life.”
He heard his final title again and again Friday night time at Stagg.
This Falcon was a showman, scoring 24 factors for the Porters in a 43-31 victory over the host Chargers in a SouthWest Suburban Conference crossover in Palos Hills.
The 6-foot-2 junior guard seemingly did all of it for Lockport (12-5). He hit two 3-pointers. He hit jumpers. He even drove via the lane for baskets.
And throughout one drive, regardless of being double teamed, he hit an off-balance shot whereas falling. After he was fouled, he transformed the free throw to finish a 3-point play.
The solely factor he didn’t do towards Stagg (9-8) was dunk, which he mentioned is the favourite a part of his sport.
Senior guard Adam Labuda, who completed with 13 factors, raved about Falcon.
“His game is fantastic,” Labuda mentioned. “When he does his one-dribble pullup, I do know it’s all the time getting into. When he does a catch-and-shoot three, that’s all the time in.
“And when he gets into his post, he will do a drop-step or spin-around. It’s either going to be a foul or two points.”
In the second half, Falcon scored all eight of Lockport’s factors within the third quarter and had the Porters’ first 5 factors of the fourth. Labuda then nailed a 3-pointer with 2:09 left.
That was near a 14-minute stretch of all Falcon, on a regular basis.
“I knew I had most of the points,” Falcon mentioned. “I knew I had a lot of points when I scored the first 10, but after that, I wasn’t paying attention.”
While coaches often like somewhat extra steadiness in scoring from their groups, Lockport coach Brett Hespell didn’t thoughts watching Falcon take over whereas a few of his teammates had cooled off through the second half.
“He has a knack for making plays,” Hespell mentioned of Falcon. “Some children simply have that.
“He’s also worked on his body. He’s a lot stronger this year, so he absorbs contact really well and has been able to finish. He’s really grown as a player and as a young man.”
Falcon lately took an unofficial go to to Illinois State. While he has journey basketball forward of him in the summertime to attempt to impress a number of extra faculty coaches, he mentioned he’ll think about observe within the spring.
As a sophomore, he certified for state within the lengthy leap.
Stagg didn’t have a participant hit double figures however welcomed again junior guard Connor Williams to the lineup after he missed the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic with an damage.
Williams helped the Chargers take a 13-4 lead earlier than Lockport’s protection clamped down. Domas Narcevicius scored 16 factors and Williams added 15 in Saturday’s 70-44 nonconference win over Hansberry (12-6).
Meanwhile, Lockport gave up simply 13 factors within the ultimate 27 minutes Saturday towards Stagg and got here again to close down Naperville Central 40-27.
“It all starts with our coach, and he just told us to turn it up,” Falcon mentioned of the protection. “When we got the lead, coach said, ‘Keep your feet on their necks.’”
“They hit some threes early and we just had to get to the rotations quicker,” Labuda mentioned of Stagg. “Once we started doing that, they really couldn’t do anything else against us.”
Jeff Vorva is a contract reporter for the Daily Southtown.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com